Digital Optical Deflector Using (Pb, La)(Zr, Ti)O3 Ceramics

Abstract

Optical deflectors are mainly used in the field of optical scanning. Most optical deflectors utilize the mechanical rotation of mirrors or holograms, which are suitable for applications such as laser printers. This type of deflector has two advantages; the deflection angle is large and the resolution is high. On the other hand, this type of deflector does not have high-speed response and is not suitable for random access function. Considering the forthcoming applications of deflectors to optical communication and optical data processing, the electrooptic deflectors should be reconsidered. Especially in considering the random access function, digital optical deflectors are more hopeful than analog ones. One type of digital optical deflector has already been proposed, which has a discrete deflection angle due to control of the plane of polarization and the birefringence of optical crystals. However, this type of deflector is complex, because it consists of many polarizers and crystals in series. Aiming at a simpler construction, we propose a new type of digital optical deflector which consists of an optical divider and a parallel optical shutter made of (Pb, La)(Zr, Ti)O3 (PLZT) ceramic, and its deflection properties are investigated theoretically and experimentally.